I am Not Shirou Emiya
by Arata Suou
Summary: A random youth, now possessing the body of Shirou Emiya with a rendition of the Gamer ability.
1. Chapter 1

[Congratulations. You have been chosen to be the Gamer]

In the past, I had jokingly thought 'I will definitely go to hell for this' every now and then when doing acts of atrocity. From simple things such as throwing trash away improperly to reading or watching sinful materials. I am by no means a Buddha or even a good person in general. I would be the first to admit that my morality is far too lacking for a working member of society.

However those were mere joking words, and I never even contemplated how it would be like in hell, mainly because of my lack of faith. Why contemplate over something that would never happen? There is a reason why realism is so very important within stories. One finds excitement within a story because they can imagine themselves being part of it, or in basic language relates themselves.

Therefore when I woke up to the sight of endless fire, there was nothing I could do but shiver in fear from the sight before me. Endless fire burning away everything as far as my sight could see. This was a tragedy for those within, and mere statistic for those unrelated.

As they say, the death of one is a tragedy while the death of millions is merely a statistic. Only now did I finally feel like empathizing with the meaning of those irrational words. Normally more death would mean more relatives and acquaintance weeping, but so much death could submerge the wallowing of one.

'Ah, so this is hell'

That was my idle thought as I watched people getting burned alive, while what is perceivably odor of burnt meat filled my sense of smell. Strangely enough there was a sense of elation while seeing everything consumed by the large flame. Maybe this is what they meant by some people merely wanting to see the world burn.

I have since died already, and remember falling down from the height.

That is why I am convinced that this is hell. However I wonder why everyone else was here.

For example, there was a baby held tightly within the grasp of an adult woman. Both were ablaze from the flame surrounding us all. How a young baby could have sinned enough to go to hell I have next to no clue. Did they cause the death of their parents while they were born? Would that count as a sin against them?

Maybe merely the act of living itself is a sin, and you have to do good in life and then have Heaven as remunerations. If so then I am sure most people these days would end up in hell rather than heaven. Then again people seem to often surprise me with their kindness. Maybe it was my pessimism talking making me leans towards that thought.

Men and women. Elderly and children. Everyone and everything was consumed by the burning flames without any exception. And here was this young child of no worth right in the middle of the burning havoc. What was he doing here within these chaotic flames that spared none? What was his role except to be merely another unsuspecting victim?

At that point, I closed my eyes as tears began to shed, though they have quickly evaporated thanks to the heat from the fires. Here I shall unleash my two ultimatums towards this world who cursed me with this unforgiving sight, leaving me helpless and forsaken.

Giving Up.

And Crying.

That was all I did as the fire spread farther and farther, getting closer to reaping my life. There was not very much to do except waiting for the inevitable torture that was to come. This is hell incarnate and there is no place to escape to. Only endless fire and nothing else, there is not a place kind enough here to cater for us arrogant humans.

Soon I was enveloped by heat.

However the heat was not one of flame, but rather the warmth of a body.

There was someone embracing me. Someone within these despairing flames was kind enough to give his hopes away towards a pathetic trash like me. How undeniably kind and how unbearably jealousy-inducing, to be a saint-like existence and a savior within this wretched world.

"You're alive."

The person who hugged me repeated those words again and again like a broken recorder. I could see light in his eyes as if he has somehow found his salvation through saving me. Irrational yet easily understandable, he is a martyr who gives up his own good for the sake of others, a hero who will unconditionally safe others for their selfless ideology.

I merely had blank eyes while tears keep shedding from the edge of my eyes slowly evaporating as time passed by.

At that point, I have yet to know the condition surrounding us two.

If I had then I would have certainly hugged him back, and spoken without hesitation.

'Thank you for saving me'

* * *

I decided to move to a different site called Webnovel, and will most likely write there from now on. Therefore I am releasing all the small ideas I have wrote which I stopped after only about 10k words. Anyone would be welcome to adopt this one after the 3rd chap is posted.

Edit: Since someone asked my name in WN is OmaeWaMo, not Arata Suou. Already have 1 new fic there. A multi-crossover about romance.


	2. Chapter 2

I opened my eyes only to wake up to a white ceiling again. This was a nostalgic sight to the current me, a reminder of those unpleasant days wasted at the hospital. Then again I doubt one would usually picture good memories when one thinks of hospitals. It was only natural.

Looking around I could assure without any doubt that this was a plain and average hospital room. A place I have sworn to never enter again, considering what kind of messed up experience it was. No, the experience itself was not that bad, the fact I entered psychiatry itself was the bad thing.

So much for that promise I suppose.

"…How did you wake up already?"

Japanese. Wonder why they are speaking in that language. Maybe I am currently somewhere within Japan? I am still unclear as to why I am even alive right now. The last thing I remembered was jumping of a tall skyscraper, and then there was fire.

It seems the doctor was surprised I was healthy enough to regain my consciousness. I do not remember recovering quickly in my past life. Considering how often I take injuries thanks to my carelessness I would know if my body held some kind of quickened healing process. Maybe a new boon now that I am within some form of afterlife.

One assumption would be to think mental strength is prioritized over physical prowess here in this form of afterlife. That would explain my newly-earned quick recovery by pointing fingers at my mental prowess. It was something nigh-impossible but still a possibility which needs to be accounted for. Everything- even the impossible- needs to be accounted for considering I am still living after my death.

Besides my mental strength could be considered nonexistent so that explanation is most likely wrong. I am a man who sobbed and sat still in the middle of a catastrophic fire. It cannot be helped though, considering there was no hope of a sinner such as me escaping such hell. It was a punishment worthy of the person who willingly killed himself.

"I do not know."

Thus was my simple response, in Japanese as well. There are far too many things I have next to no idea about so there was no means for me to provide this man beside me with answers I do not possess. I felt somewhat apologetic for the doctor but there was nothing to be done.

"What is your name?"

My name. This person is speaking Japanese for whatever reason, so I can assume that I am currently residing within Japan. If so then I might as well make up a Japanese name, it would be far easier to do so rather than telling the truth towards the doctor, no matter how dirtied my mouth feels spouting lies towards this savior of mine.

"Murasaki."

"And your last name?"

"I do not wish to remember."

"Ah, I see..."

As one might expect I am not so capable as to think of a fitting last name so quickly. Therefore I made up a half-assed excuse so there would be no need for me to create one. For whatever reason the doctor was accepting of those words of mine, maybe he was cutting some slacks for the young boy who just experienced hell or something. I am thankful for his consideration.

"Oh, there is somebody who wishes to meet you."

There was someone wishing to meet me. Was it going to be someone who will explain this new life to me? I nodded towards the doctor giving my permission for the oncoming guest. There were all kinds of expectations within my mind and the man that came through the door denied all of them. It was a surprising sight to say the least.

"Emiya Kiritsugu."

That was the name of the man before me. His hollowed gaze fell right into my orbs, his expression betraying nothing. This was the man who has just lost everything within the tragedy we both survived and the man who saved me. The Ally of Justice betrayed by everything he aspired within his life thanks to the machinations of a cursed deity.

I am Emiya Shirou.

I see.

The realization felt softer than I would have liked to admit. To me life goes on like the wind, and my role was to merely follow wherever it leads me. If fate deigns me to play the role of a distorted boy then all should be done as it decrees. Irrational as it might have been I constantly saw myself from the third perspective, merely someone watching through the tinted screen rather than the person controlling the body.

"…You know of me?"

He seems quite confused if I am deciphering his expression correctly. His hands tightened as well as if ready to spring into his coat, which was most likely hiding some form of firearm. I suppose paranoia is only natural for the likes of him. It is a good quality for someone who lives a dangerous life.

"You are infamous."

The man fell quiet as if contemplating. Once more his expression gave nothing away, leaving me wondering what thoughts were hidden behind his faceless mask. As a man with shady works it was only fitting for him to have a poker face. And yet for once I could decipher his thought like a book, not through his expression but through simple logics.

"Out of all the ones I could have saved, why did I safe this one?"

Those words left my mouth akin to a whisper.

He looked towards me. The man was an infamous mercenary who have killed thousands of people. To know him means one is either related to that shady world or worse yet was a part of the moonlit world where he is feared as the Magus Killer. I am too young to be any proper criminal therefore he must assume I am the child of some magi family.

"Did you have such thoughts? If you regret having saved me then you may rectify that mistake right now. I will permit it."

There was no deeper meaning behind those words. Maybe the man in front of me will truly decide to kill me. If so then it cannot be helped. He was the savior to whom I owe my life. If he wishes to kill me then I will be the first to support his cause. It was twisted, but that was the most self-cause a man who took his own life can have.

"…No. Do you still have a family?"

After some time those words left the mouth of Emiya Kiritsugu. I shook my head to tell him negative. From my admittedly limited knowledge Shirou did not find his parents even far into the future. His question did not puzzle me in the least, and I already knew the next few words he intends to say towards me. It would be an invitation to become a family.

"Then between going to an orphanage and following an infamous man, which would you prefer?"

That was the offer that will bring the birth of a legend, something for following generations to marvel at. Thinking about it I truly love writing, so maybe I should write a biography of myself far into the future, most likely after the war has passed. It will be a long shot but most aspirations tend to be anyway.

"I will gladly follow you, Kiritsugu-san."

And that was how the pact between Emiya Murasaki nd Emiya Kiritsugu was made.

After a suspiciously short period consisting of few days the documents for my adoption was legalized and I was formally accepted into the Emiya household. There was no doubt within my mind that something shady was going on behind closed doors but there was no need for me to concern myself with such matters. It was way too much trouble for nothing worthy of interest.

Speaking of something interesting though, there was something which took my interest over these few days. Something which could give me the edge I need to become a true legend rather than the outclassed magus Shirou was during the Fuyuki 5th Holy Grail War.

"Status."

[Emiya Murasaki

Level 1

EXP: 0/100

Title: Survivor of the Fuyuki Fire, Sword Incarnate

Str: 10  
End: 10  
Agi: 10  
Int: 27  
Wis: 10  
Cha: 10  
Luc: 10

Unallocated: 10

Skill: Observe (Lv1) ]

Those were my stats as the Gamer.

The number 27 stood out in contrast to others which stood at a normal 10 which is assumedly the average for a normal human being. I do have inklings as to why it was different from the rest though. If my guess is correct 27 Intelligence should be the amount of magic circuits I have right now, same as Emiya Shirou within the original series. I decided to clear up the question in a simple manner by depending of my currently sole skill.

"Observe."

[Strength]

[This stats determines your exertion of force]

[Endurance]

[This stats determines your physical fitness]

[Agility]

[This stats determines your body coordination]

[Intelligence]

[This stats determines your mental processing speed and how many Magic Circuits you have]

[Wisdom]

[This stats determines your perceptiveness and how much Od can your Magic Circuits output]

[Charm]

[This stats determines your attractiveness and persuasiveness]

[Luck]

[This stats determines you fate]

Ah, so it seems while Intelligence control the amount of Circuits I have, Wisdom controls the amount of Prana each Circuits could handle. That was very kind of the game to have given me a straightforward way to increase my circuits and their output, which is usually determined at birth.

As expected of the infamous overpowered Gamer system. This gaming ability itself is already extremely broken, but I know a few ways to exploit this ability. Some of which might or might not work considering the difference between this ability and the ones I have read in the past. One glaring difference I noticed is the lack of HP and MP bars.

The first thing to exploit would be the fact there is a way to raise stats other than leveling up, and that is through strenuous activities. So I could endlessly increase my stats through constant training. Sadly there is one caveat to this method of raising stats.

The higher my stats are, the more strenuous the training will have to be to increase them. Therefore this method works best when my stats are still low. Best to train as hard as I can for now before dumping all my unallocated stats point from level ups into one or two stats.

The second point of exploit would be passive skills, and my title Sword Incarnate.

[Sword Incarnate]

[+9000% Growth increase to Skills with Sword-related activities.]

Strangely enough it did not decrease my Growth Rate with anything not Sword related which I assume was a thing considering Shirou was known among the fandom to be bad at any other magic unrelated to swords. But then again he learned to wield a bow properly, and can cook well despite his Swords Incarnation, so maybe that part was exaggeration by the fandom.

Shirou is really bad with any other magic except the basic Structural Analyze, Reinforcement. Projection, and later on Alteration based on from the original work Fate/Stay Night. However maybe that was because Shirou was not trained properly as a magus rather than his lack of talent.

Well, this is not the story of that Emiya Shirou, but rather the man who possessed his dying body called Emiya Musaraki. So for now the path is clear, train as hard as I can with sword-related activities for as long as I can before moving on towards the next exploit which could be done to raise me to cap level quickly.

"Kiritsugu-san, would you have any bladed weaponry lying around?"

"…Why would you want something like that?"

He seemed cautious of asking me the question. Thinking back he still has not known I am not a child from a Magi lineage, but rather someone reincarnated. He is most likely assuming I will be using it to harm people one way or another, since magi usually uses other people as subject for experimentations.

Usually they take the common populace but sometimes other Magi are more useful experimental subject than normal human beings. Those who experiments on other Magi are usually blacklisted by the Mage's association though.

"I am a Sword Incarnate. I get touchy when I don't have any around."

That was my reasoning for having a sword. Being a Sword Incarnate means my element and origin align with one another, both being Sword. Me being an Incarnation of Sword was mainly because of what Kiritsugu used to save me from that fire.

"…I'll buy you a bokuto later."

Mission accomplished. How fortunate of me to have such understanding single parent. Jokes aside I went towards the kitchen to prepare a meal for the two of us. I made sure to learn some recipe which involves a lot of cutting, as I assumed using a kitchen knife is considered a sword-related activity.

I looked up some simple recipe for beginners which used knifes online. There were quite the amount of quality result, though not comparable to the ones I was used to back at my past life which was somewhere between two to three decades ahead considering this is 1994.

The result was not too shabby if I say so myself. There was all the utensil I need within the pristine kitchen. Thinking again this was the first time this kitchen was used considering I decided to prevent Kiritsugu from making any food. From what I remembered within the story he apparently burned the kitchen down while trying to cook.

Can't remember if that was Cannon of Fannon but better be safe than sorry. Besides Shirou was known for being a good cook (Cough Today's Menu for the Emiya Family Cough) so might as well as try my hand in it, even if I was not Shirou. And as expected a Skill for cooking indeed appeared the moment I started cooking.

[Cooking Lv1]

[Increase the taste of the food you make by 9%]

By the time I finished making the dishes it leveled up eight times. As expected of the Sword Incarnation Title, raising all sword-related Skills will be easy-peasy. Even the ones unrelated to swords I can surely cheese through certain means.

[Cooking Lv9]

[Increase the taste of the food you make by 81%]

Assuming the max level is 100 it means I can increase the taste of foods I make by 900% when the skill is maxed out. Hopefully that would be more than enough to cause a foodgasm to women. And in the case a man ate my food… Well, guess I will still be happy if they enjoy eating the food I served, just not as ecstatic.

"Food's ready, Kiritsugu-san."

He merely nodded as if expecting nothing out of me. How boring. Then again my meals might catch him by surprise so that would be pleasant entertainment as well. Would this be the chance to see a surprised look set on his face? Kukuku.

"Itadakimasu."

Kiritsugu said as he put his hands together like your average Japanese would to pray before eating. So Emiya Kiritsugu follows Japanese eating policy after all. Or maybe he was praying in case this would be his last meal considering he seems to be skeptical about my cooking skills.

That shouldn't be the case… right?

Nevertheless he took a bite out of my cooking. Chewed. Swallowed. There was no change in his expression. Thinking about it again…

"Can you even taste these foods?"

"They're delicious,"

He responded like a machine with monotone voice.

"I am serious. Can you even taste the food with the curse inflicted on you?"

"...How do you know about that?"

"Never mind that, would it help if I return Avalon back to you?"

Avalon. A Noble Phantasm. They are the crystallization of a Legend, powerful armaments made using the imagination and beliefs of humanity as their core. In most cases they have a physical form, but sometimes they appear as special abilities as well, like my Gamer ability.

In the case of Avalon it serves as the scabbard of the ever-famous sword of Arthur Pendragon Excalibur. It has extreme healing and protective capabilities, which was how I was saved from the fire and also the reason I am offering it back to Kiritsugu.

"It's no good. The supply of energy within Avalon has since dissipated after healing you. That scabbard is merely an ornament without the prana from its owner."

No such luck it seems.

I began to eat my own portions of food while thinking how to remove the curse of Angra Mainyu from my adoptive father. It was average in taste. Then again I do not have the most stringent of tasting capability, basically eating instant noodles all the time in my past life.

The meal ended without any more words between the two of us. Our mouths were silent but I'm sure our minds were talking very loudly as the meal progressed, or at least mine certainly was. The curse of Anga Mainyu is something I need to purify if I intend to wish onto the grail.

Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian god who is called the root of all evil. The Einzbern family had the best idea of summoning that kind of beast as a Servant within the third Holy Grail War, causing the Grail to be irreversibly tainted by his curse.

The simplest way of doing so would be… Ah, I could always try summoning the white-haired Ruler. He would be more than capable of using holy sacraments to purify the Grail. However summoning that being as my Servant was going to pose a problem considering how weak he is as a fighter.

Maybe I can cover for him then. He will play the role of a supporting Master while I play the role of the vanguard Servant. However can I actually defeat the likes of Goldie only counting on my own strength?

I can. With my Unlimited Blade Works I can defeat the golden king. However that encounter is still far off into the future. For now I swill simply train as hard as I can.

That said and done we finished our meals.

"Thanks for the meals."

Like saying itadakimasu before eating it is also polite to say gochisousama after you are done. I am not the most religious though so saying those words was rather awkward for me. To follow a religion simply because everyone else is doing so is not an explanation I will accept.

Done with our meals I started washing the dishes.

[Cleaning Lv1]

[Increase cleaning speed by 9%]

Another skill popped up. A simple lifestyle skill without any useful applications except shortening time wasted. Well, time is of essence so I suppose this skill is still passable. I won't go out of my way to raise it but if it grows then so be it. After cleaning all the dishes the skill raised to level 2.

"I'll be buying your Shinai right now. Is there anything else that you want?"

"Maybe you can teach me the basics of magecraft? Nothing spectacular, just the basic three material transmutations is fine by me."

"…Maybe some other time."

It seems he is still wary of teaching me Magecraft. Not that surprising considering being a Magus is to walk with death. For now it is better to concentrate on raising my stats anyway so I will let it go and focus on prioritizing more vital matters.

Kiritsugu left the house, most likely to buy a shinai for me.

There was nothing more to do at this point, so I started learning the Japanese language. I know a bit as I was an Otaku in my past life but Kanji are still far beyond me. Better learn about them quickly.

Thankfully there are lots of educational children books on the bookcase. Guess Kiritsugu has his considerate parts as well. I started learning some Japanese through the books.

[Language Lv1]

[+9% Growth rate to learning languages]

[Through strenuous activities you Int has increased by 1]

[Through strenuous activities your Wis has increased by 2]

[Through constant usage Language has grown to Lv2]

Nice. One extra Int and two extra Wis. Now I have 28 Intelligence and 12 Wisdom resulting in 336 maximum Prana. As expected it seems the higher the stat the slower its increase will be, as shown by my Int only increasing by 1 point while Wis which was lower increased by 2 point.

I browsed for more books. Among the many books there was one with a sword on the cover. It was the folk tale about King Arthur pulling the blade Excalibur from the rock. I slowly reached for the book, opening the pages gently with my hand. Kiritsugu must have felt some form of nostalgia to have bought this book.

I read the story. It was nothing I did not already know, just a young man pulling the legendary swords stuck onto the rock and becoming a flourishing king. A lot of it was embellished and simplified since this was a book meant for children.

[Through constant usage Language has grown to Lv6]

Huh. It seems reading a book about Excalibur counts as doing something sword-related, as that is the only means I can explain how the Language skill leveled up so much from basically doing nothing expect reading a storybook… about a sword. Yeah.

Guess I will ask Kiritsugu for a sword encyclopedia later.

I continued onward learning about the language for the rest of the day. Through constant efforts my Int raised by another two points, while Wis increased by 4 points, and the Language skill also grown to level 10 before I decided to rest.

That night I dreamt of the Fuyuki fire, as I did the last few nights. It was hard to call it a nightmare though, as each time the dream ended, I would have since been save by the man whose smile shone like the sun.

The blade feels oddly fitting within my hand, most likely because I am an Incarnation of Sword. In my past life I have refused to even touch a weapon of any sorts, whether be it swords, axes or guns. After all why even risk touching them when they are unneeded? They are called weapons because they could harm people.

However in this life a clash is most likely inevitable. Therefore it is best to capitalize on my latent fighting talents to become as strong as possible. Were it not for the existence of Kiritsugu and Archer EMIYA I would not have minded living my life normally, dumping all my stat points into Luck.

Therefore within this life I will become as strong as I possibly could. That will to survive is what drives me forward. That is why I was reborn, why I was saved and why I am breathing at this very moment.

I swung the sword within my grasp with all the power I can muster. My body moved on its own by instinct as if the act of swinging a sword was the most natural thing to do for this body.

[Sword Mastery Lv1]

[Multiply Str and Agi by 1.01 when wielding Swords]

Those effects were simple yet devastating. If this skill reaches level 100 then my Str and Agi will instantly doubles whenever I am wielding a sword. Doubling those two stats should bring them up to the minimum Heroic Spirits level after some training.

The minimum level of stats a Heroic Spirit possesses is 100 points, equal to ten times of an average human. With some training I have confidence in reaching at least 50 points in Strength and Agility. But that is merely the bottom of the barrel for heroic spirits, as their stats can go as high as A+ which is equal to 1000 stat points.

Of course that is without counting the extra stats I gain from level ups. Assuming I can get to level 100 that equates to 1000 unallocated stat points, enough to push two stats into 500 which equal A-rank in Servant parameters.

As I continued to swing the sword my Strength and Agility constantly increased ever dozen minutes or so. It was a growth speed far faster than what I imagined. As a Gamer it seems my Stats increases far faster than a normal person would.

If things go well I might be capable of reaching 200 stat points in Strength and Agility through training alone. That would make me stand around the same level of a third-rate Servant with no Noble Phantasm worth mentioning.

Thinking about it I have none of the usual Gamer Body and Gamer Mind pair often used within Gamer stories. Have to wonder why, maybe the Author who granted me this power thought it would be too overpowered?

Stories and Authors. Yes, I am very much certain my life is actually merely some story written by a random no-good otaku who has too much time in his hands. However does that even matter when everything surrounding me feels so very real? An illusion perfectly the same as reality might as well be truly a second reality. There was no time for needless dramas when I can utilize those times to improve instead.

Talking about improvement though…

[Through strenuous activities you Str has increased by 5]

[Through strenuous activities your Agi has increased by 5]

[Through strenuous activities your End has increased by 2]

[Through constant usage Sword Mastery has grown to Lv22]

That was the compilations of all the announcements which happened within the past hour. Thinking back the speed the original Gamer increased his stats through training was extremely fast compared to the normal speed human improved.

I made a wicked smile with my lips. It was time to abuse this gaming system to the utmost.

"Oh, you're pretty good!"

I looked towards the source of the noise. It was a teenager girl looking somewhere between fifteen to sixteen years old with orange colored hair. She is a character from the Fate/Stay Night series that I actually knew by name. Fujimura Taiga. English teacher of Homurahara high school. Tiger of Fuyuki. Jaguar Man.

"Thank you. And you are?"

"Fujimura Taiga, a neighbor of yours. I met with Kiritsugu-san yesterday when I was shopping some extra Kendo equipment."

Ah, so they met while Kiritsugu was buying me a shinai. That was a ripple from the original series. A minor and most likely harmless difference but a ripple nonetheless. Hopefully butterfly effect won't make too big a change from this small difference.

And no I did not just jinx myself.

"You seem pretty good with the blade. Wanna go for a spar?"

…Did she just ask someone she barely knows for a spar?

Yes she did. What a strange girl. Put a bit harsher she was a bit of a lunatic to suddenly approach an unfamiliar boy almost a decade younger than her and ask him for a spar. Well, closer to eight year than a decade but my point still stands.

"I do not know the rule for kendo."

"Eh, you're that good with a blade and you don't know kendo? Ah, are you a foreigner?"

I could see how she would come to that conclusion considering my red messy hair and golden eyes. Have to wonder whether Shirou could actually be a foreigner though. He did lose all his memories, so maybe he was actually on some kind of trip away from his home country. I have no memories of Shirou so I would not know any better.

"No, but I just picked up a blade todays so I wouldn't know."

"Eh? The blade Kiritsugu-san bought yesterday was your first!?"

Her eyes gleamed from interest towards me. Right, admire and bow before my latent talent as a Sword Incarnate you lowly peasant. This is the talent of a true hero (in-the-making) who will win the fifth Holy Grail War, the great hero that shall surpass the legacy of Emiya Shirou.

"Talent, real talent! Seriously let's spar! I'll explain the rules of Kendo to you!"

Who was I to deny someone so eager? Therefore I listened and tried to understand her explanation to the best I could, before realizing something vital merely a few words more into the conversation.

"I don't have Kendo protective armor."

That deflated her like a balloon which got untied. I did not know people could change gears from extremely cheerful to mournful that quickly. Guess she really was having expectations for that fight.

"Ugh, I'll bring some over some other days. For now why don't you show me your skills by going over through some motions?"

"I don't know any. As I said before this is my first day with a shinai or anything of similar nature."

She scrunched her eyebrows. It must be frustrating to deal with such a beginner who doesn't know anything yet. I am sorry for troubling you Taiga-nee-san.

"Just show me your swings then."

I did as she told. Well, it was nothing I haven't been doing for the past dozen minutes or so anyway. She kept quiet without saying anything so I kept doing my swings until my body felt limp. Time passed just like nothing.

Training my body did not feel tiring or bothersome for whatever reason, unlike in my past life where I would have given up after merely five minutes into the training. This was something out of the ordinary, though whether it was because of my nature as an Incarnation of Sword or because of the wakeup calls that is the Fuyuki Fire is debatable.

That fire was… Well, if it was not for the fact _his_ smile was so bright, I would still have troubles sleeping at night thanks to my nightmares.

Time passed. Minutes stacked upon one another till more than an hour has passed. My concentration was at its peak. Most likely no human of the non-supernatural world could match up to me within this state. I believed there was nothing that could break my concentration at this point—

Until I heard a sharp rumble from beside me.

"A-ahahaha…"

I smiled.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?"

That was how the Emiya family gained a regular visitor. Another guest for Lunch at Emiya household.


	3. Chapter 3

It has been an entire week since my first encounter with Fujimura Taiga at the dojo. Since then she has become a staple part of lunch within the Emiya household. She does not come every day but she is there more often than not, and to me the dining table began to feel too quiet without her around.

From what I could see she is currently developing a healthy crush towards Kiritsugu. It is rather enjoyale to view the sight of the constantly talkative Taiga become speechless when facing him. It was one of the few moments where Taiga is truly quiet just like when she spars against me.

"Guh. You're thinking something rude about me aren't you?"

"As expected of the Tiger, your instincts are top-notch."

I could already hear the obligatory 'don't call me a tiger' before she even spoke a word. It has only been a short week but she has fully integrated herself into our life. I am sure Kiritsugu too is feeling some form of enjoyable normalcy from this teenager beside me. She was a nice person. By no means extraordinary, but that is what makes her special.

To be ordinary is a trait not everyone has, and to some it is a luxury they cannot usually enjoy. As strange as it sounds being ordinary is different than being normal. After all normal people are usually unordinary in some manners.

Well, one could say this woman beside me is unordinary well if one were to think about her family situations. After all she is the loved young miss of the nearby Yakuza clan. However that did not matter to me who has yet to create a connection to that world. It might be a different case for my father, but he is already retired anyway so…

Something caught my eyes. It was something out of a beautiful painting, the sight of a lonely girl all alone with no one around her. There was something that simply urged me to walk towards her and save her for some reason. It might have been the same survivor guilt Shirou always had throughout his life, which led him into becoming the tragedy that is Archer.

I have no intention of becoming the same as that Emiya Shirou. That path which leads to hell is far too much of a burden for the weak to bear. And there is nothing to be found at the end of that path anyway, leaving you with nothing but betrayals from that beautiful ideal. I have no intention of becoming an all of justice, and yet…

"Kiritsugu-san, Taiga-san, mind waiting for a bit?"

Kiritsugu, Taiga and I were currently returning from shopping some food supply since it was running low. I always try to cook a feast every day since raising my cooking skill is fun and Taiga always devour everything I cook anyway. Then again it was only natural considering she was an active growing teenager who delves into sports.

Firstly a step continued by a few more in following. My legs led me towards the nearby park with swings and slides, places where children play around with joy. There was a young girl with hollowed eyes; sitting on a swing within said playground looking like she wondered why she was even there. There were many legacies left behind from the events that occurred within Fate/ Zero, and this was one of the more concerning ones in my opinion.

The suffering of Matou Sakura. The girl tortured by the hideous existence simply named Matou Zouken, broken beyond healing without any hero who saved her in time. There was one person who tried to become her savior, who sadly died after having his mind broken through the scheming of a fake priest.

I idly wondered whether the broken piece of her old self could be melded back into what it once was. To become the girl called Tohsaka Sakura who constantly smiled and played around with her sister, and enjoyed the embrace of her mother. Even if it could it will most likely never be the same again.

Then again I was someone who loves Kintsukuroi.

"Tohsaka Sakura, right?"

"…"

"My name is Emiya Murasaki."

"…"

"Would you like to take some moments away from your grandfather? I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"…"

"We are going to have some lunch. You would be welcomed to join in."

"…You can't save me."

Finally the girl has shown some form of emotions beyond her usual impassive state. That was a small improvement, the first of many to come. It might be too early to count the chickens before they hatch, but I cannot help but be expectant of the smile she would give were someone to fully save her.

"I cannot save you. But I refuse to belief that I cannot give you some form of happiness no matter how small."

There were the tiniest sign of a smile showing on her lips. So small I suspected it was the tricks of the light, or maybe an illusion my mind created through some very desperate hoping. Yet even if that smile was nothing but mere fakery I could not help but smile for the sight was pure beauty itself.

"Why?"

She did not provide any context to her question yet I already knew what she wanted to ask. My right hand went towards her head. She stared at me unflinching. I wonder what she is imagining right now. With a guess she is most likely assuming it will be something harmful towards her. And yet there she was immovable, uncaring of the perceived threats.

_How much has that being broken you, dear child?_

My hand slowly and gently brushed her hair.

"Because purple is my favorite color."

[Through things you should know unless you are very dense, +1 Charm]

[Charisma Lv1]

[Increase your Charm by 1%]

A few more days have passed since the meeting with Sakura. As expected it seems the sadistic being was interested in this development as it allowed Sakura to come visit us often. Her presence was a delight as far as I am concerned. Kiritsugu did not question my decision, and Taiga was fine long as I increased the foods I cooked so her portions were kept the same.

Sakura herself rarely speaks at all, though I was more than eager to try conversing with her even if she barely responds. As I have said before my current self is incapable of saving her, but that does not means there is nothing I can do for her. Taiga seems to think I have a crush on her, but mostly kept those thoughts within her mindscape and did not tease us.

Maybe she was self –conscious of the fact I could easily take revenge by mentioning her pet crush towards Kiritsugu. Or more likely she instinctually knew I am capable of reducing her portion of food if I deigned so. As expected of the tiger. It was a shame though considering the one time she actually did tease us Sakura gained a small tint of red at her cheeks.

Speaking about Sakura and emotions, it seems she has gotten livelier when talking towards me. At least she sometimes responds when I talked to her these days unlike when we first met where it was practically a one-man-show. Small progress but it was proof things were getting marginally better.

With all that said, the conclusion was there was another regular for meals at the Emiya household.

As for my cooking Skill.

[Cooking Lv42]

[Increase the taste of the foods you make by 378%]

Considering I have been cooking thrice a day for the past ten days that was about one level every times I cooked in average. The first time I cooked it leveled up till level 9 instantly so it seems skills also gets harder to raise the higher they are. Not exactly good news but it was nothing surprising. Only means I have to put more efforts into using my skills.

It was still too early to tell how far can I progress within my the next ten years considering I do not know how high the difficulty spike will be to reach max level, but most likely there will be enough time to reach level 100 in my useful Skills before the Holy Grail War starts. By that point I will be most likely strong enough to fight against proper Heroic Spirits.

Oh, and by the way I gained another skill after brewing some tea few days back.

[Brewing Lv6]

[Increase the taste of the brews you make by 54%]

It seems the game seperates brewing from cooking. Maybe it separates cooking from baking as well then, haven't tried baking any breads or cakes yet though so I wouldn't know. Seems like too much pain in the ass to learn baking considering I am Asian. Brewing on the other hand I don't mind having at all.

The sizzling of the fried meat brings my attentions back towards the food within the pan. They were pretty much ready at this point so I turned off the stove and served the food into a dish, before putting it at the kitchen table. Huh, that was apparently the last of the side dishes. These days I can cook without putting much thought into it.

"Meals are ready."

I served the dishes towards the dining table. Kiritsugu, Taiga and Sakura were there on three side of the rectangle table ready for the meals already. It was honestly starting to become a delight to see others enjoying foods I made myself, to the point I can see how Shirou has gotten cooking as a hobby of sorts. With my cooking skill I have confidence in being a better cook than him.

"""Let's eat."""

We all said as we put our hands together. Even I have gotten used to this charade of praying so very simply before eating after these ten days. It was not all that bothersome or unpleasant like my old religion where they always preach all kinds of stuff so I did not see any harm in practicing them. Who knows, maybe I will go towards the shrine during new years as well.

The meals in Emiya household were mostly quiet business except for Taiga chattering every now and then, though lately I tried to make conversations with Sakura during meals as well. It was uncomfortable talking while in the middle of consuming food but conversing with her was quite the delightful experience, even if she did not respond all that much.

"Are the food okay, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes."

"Are things still going bad with your brother, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes."

"Do you miss Miss Aoi, Sakura-chan?"

"…Who?"

"Let's meet her some other time okay, Sakura-chan?"

"Yes."

And those kinds of banter were constantly recreated as we talked to one another. I constantly tried to crack her impassive expression to no avail most of the time, though there are times where I took her by surprise, which grants me the sight of her widening her eyes and pursing her lips by the tiniest bit. Thinking about it I have gotten better at reading her face.

Taiga seems to think our conversation to be mostly harmless and cute while Kiritsugu constantly has an impassive look I could not read even though I started to gain some confidence in my face-reading ability after practicing it a lot with Sakura. Speaking of reading though…

[Observe Lv21]

[Gives information of something or someone within your line of sight.]

After a while I realized there was no need to speak to use this skill. Mental thought works just as well to activate active skills when needed. Added with the fact activating it does not cost me anything, it was only a matter of time before I abused this Skill by constantly using it all the damn time on anything I could set my sight on.

With that in mind I activated my Observe on Kiritsugu.

[Emiya Kiritsugu

Title: Magus Killer, Ally of Justice, One Cursed by All the World's Evil (Beginning).

Str: 16 (-40%)

End: 12 (-40%)

Agi: 16 (-40%)

Int: 40 (-40%)

Wis: 20 (-40%)

Luc: 6 (-40%)

Emiya Kiritsugu, also known as the infamous Magus Killer. After years of fighting he has attained and therefore thrown away his ideals, and is currently dealing with his loss and the curse affecting him. He is confused by the acts of his adopted child Emiya Murasaki.]

The first thing I noticed was his lack of level along with skills. Maybe those things were exclusive to the Gamer only. The lack of levels made sense considering how his stats would be very high if he earned stats point from level-ups considering his past experience. And people do not magically have their physical body grow stronger when they wield a familiar weapon either, like me and my Sword Mastery.

The second thing was obviously the (-40%) beside all his stats, most likely cause by the title One Cursed by All the World's Evil (Beginning). I decided to observe the title for further inspection.

[One Cursed by All the World's Evil (Beginning)]

[Reduce all stats by 40%. This title will evolve into One Cursed by All the World's Evil (Intermediate) over time.]

So this curse will gradually worsen over time. That was not good but nothing unexpected. Guess I will have to heal him before things get too out of hands. Far as I remember Kiritsugu dies five years after the Fuyuki Fire. Five years left to fix him up through some viable means I have yet to come up with.

Actually I already have an idea of how, though whether it will work or not is questionable. Nevertheless it was something I am incapable of doing for now so better not worry over something I am currently helpless about.

"""Thanks for the meals."""

We all have finished our meals while my mind was occupied with monologues, which was nothing unusual if we are being honest. Constantly thinking is one of my defining traits, something I do to usher boredom away. It is a vital part of my previous identity, which carried over to make the foundation of Emiya Murasaki.

Emiya Murasaki is a person born within that hell and endured through, rather than a useless shut-in who partook in the act of suicide. There is a large gap between the person who intends to live his life as lavishly as possible as to not regret it and the person who ended his life to stop creating more regrets.

"Well, guess it is time to hit the dojo again."

Sadly there is no time to waste fooling around. I have set myself a strict schedule of training with my shinai for ten hours each day and never a minute less for the past ten days. Normally I would have given up very quickly but through some kind of miracle I managed to keep that schedule up till now which leaves no free times for me these days.

"Murasaki… What drives you to train so harshly?"

That was some rare excerpt from Kiritsugu himself. It is rare for him to speak, and even rarer for him to initiate a topic. Wonder what got him so interested into my training. Nevertheless the answer was obvious from my perspective. There are simply things that will need to be done and I intend to be the one to do them.

"What are you saying Kiritsugu-san? You left me a mountain of legacy to bear, so of course I have to train hard."

"…Legacy? There is nothing of mine that you should follow."

"Request recognized and rejected. There are things that simply need to be done and I will be the one to do them." I spoke. "For example you left behind a daughter who needs saving. Who else will help her if not his brother?"

Those last words seem to have done a lot of damage to his psyche. Guess he is still feeling guilty for leaving her behind and killing her mother, who is his own beloved wife no matter what kind of state she was left in. Yeah, the 4th Holy Grail War was a complicated mess ending in a tragedy.

"Go to the storehouse tomorrow. I will teach you my expertise."

I merely nodded at those words of his before leaving for the dojo. Taiga was tilting her head with a lost expression while Sakura still has her impassive look set on her face. Guess whether I trained to be a magus or not was not of much interest to her. Maybe it was something to report to that being but otherwise meaningless.

I continued to train without pause. After reaching 50 points in Str and Agi their growth has slowed down quite a bit. Maybe I should start wearing some extra weights while training from now on. It was merely another thing to ask Kiritsugu to buy for me.

We are currently at the storehouse beside the main house of the Emiya household. There was nothing noteworthy within the place except the large paint on the ground forming a magic circle. Most likely something left behind from the 4th Fuyuki Holy Grail War.

"So, how much do you know about magecraft?"

"Not much. I know I need to open my circuits and make a mental trigger, and have some rudimentary knowledge on some form of magic but nothing certain. Considering me a beginner might be for the best."

"…Right. So the first thing we need to do is opening your circuits. I will trickle some Prana into your body which should be more than enough to open them. It might be a bit painful."

He connected his palm towards my chest. I could feel something sweeping through my body. Something ethereal and nonexistent, yet there it was within my body. Or mayhap within my soul would be the more accurate wording, as the heat creeping within my body is merely a physical representation of something metaphysical.

I felt my body burning up. Pain overwhelmed my body. Pain. This was painful. Yet it was nothing compared to the hell I have once seen in the past. This pain was merely a sprinkler going wild while the hell was a storm.

…It seems not only my personality, but my sense of pain has been twisted around as well within that fire. The burden of pain was not so easily ignored, but these idle thoughts were actually helping me deal with them.

Another few seconds passed by as my screams echoed within the surrounding of the closed-off storehouse. Kiritsugu must have understood I am currently dealing with the pain within my body as he let me writhe in agony on the ground.

[Prana has been unlocked.]

And that was all I need to confirm the process went successfully. I took some deep breaths to keep my calm. That was somewhat demanding on the mental faculties. As expected of the profession which is described as walking with death, even the first step to becoming one was full of pain and risks.

I stood from the ground, and looked towards Kiritsugu who held an impassive face just as always. In any other time I would have used Observe to peek at his current emotions and thoughts but the current me does not have the required mental faculties to do that. Instead I gestured for him to continue the lesson.

"Next is creating your own mental trigger which will be used whenever you wish to activate your circuits. As you might expect you need to be capable of thinking about it within the heat of battle so it should be something personal and preferably something simple as well."

"We cannot progress until you make your trigger, but you should think over it carefully. Thinking your own trigger is an important foundation for learning magecraft."

"Right, I actually have an idea on what I want to use for my trigger already."

Closing my eyes there was but a single thought within my mind. There was no need for anything extravagant; I merely need to remember that sight deep within my memory. It should be good enough to get the job done with, being something very natural and yet bizarre.

The roar of a thunder echoed within my mind.

[Mental Trigger Lv1]

[-1% Time required to activate your Magic Circuits]

[Lightning Affinity Lv1]

[+1% Growth increase to Skills with Lightning-related activities]

There was a trickle of pain as my circuits activated once more, though this time around it was far more bearable compared to the last time. It seems like my imagination succeeded in ensuring my circuits activated. For once I am grateful for having an overactive imagination.

The Mental Trigger Skill was something I expected but the Lightning Affinity took me by surprise. I wonder whether I have special affinity for the lightning or was it something which could be replicated with other elements.

"Done."

I looked towards Kiritsugu who raised an eyebrow at my current state, either in confusion or interest or maybe both. One cannot simply read the face of an experienced mercenary slash assassin. Even after these ten days I still have no clue as to how he expresses himself, or whether he even does do that at all.

"What did you use?"

"It was the image of a thunder striking the ground, seems like I have an affinity for lightning as well."

"I see. Then let's move to the next lesson."

He started with structural analyze before anything else. It was a basic way of teaching how to perceive the world around oneself through prana without any risk, so it was apparently something used to train their spawn by most magi.

The trick in learning Structural Analyze was to eject Prana out of the body to the outside world while making sure it does not disperse into the air. Afterwards you must lead your Prana towards the object you intends to analyze and envelope it within your Prana.

Leaking Prana from my circuit was easy enough but controlling them afterwards was easier said than done. Embarrassingly enough it took me a few minutes and dozens of tries before I succeeded in analyzing a normal pebble.

There were barely any information from the success but hey, a success is a success no matter how ones put it. A constant of small steps is how the world works.

[Structural Analyze Lv1]

[Analyze 1% composition of a selected object within your mind. Cost 11MP]

It was still very shabby but at least the Skill is now there and I can raise its effectiveness by constantly using it from now on. This skill will in the future become Tracing so I have to make sure to cultivate it properly.

"Now that you are done with Structural Analyze we can start learning Gradation Air, also known as Projection.

We are finally moving on towards the good part. Projection is the act of creating something from your Prana, which will fade over time. It seems like it is impossible to create living organism as well. I wonder if I could create some new form of steel through projection though.

This is something I can cheat with my Sword Incarnation Title. In fact I could also cheat with the previous part but the idea only came to me as I am doing it right now. I cannot even blame my Int considering it is currently four times higher than the average human. So I guess it is my wrong for being lazy of constantly thinking of ways to exploit the game.

"Let me go pick up my Shinai before doing that."

With those words I hurriedly moved towards the dojo to pick up the present from Kiritsugu and taking it towards the storehouse. It only took me a short amount of time to do so, and Kiritsugu stood there and waited till I returned.

After returning back to the storehouse I looked towards Kiritsugu who nodded in affirmation. He explained the basics of how to control my Prana into forming the correct material and form. To create a proper replica of an item one needs a proper blueprint of said item in the first place.

Therefore I used Structural Analyze onto the shinai.

[Through constant usage Structural Analyze has grown to Lv2]

[Through constant usage…]

[Through constant usage…]

The skill was instantly raised to level 4 the moment I used it on the shinai. As expected it seems Sword Incarnation also boosts magecraft long as it is still sword-related. Now the next part of the plan is to use Gradation Air to create a shinai.

The image of a thunder strike occurred within my mind.

[Through constant usage Mental Trigger has grown to Lv2]

[Through constant usage Lightning Affinity has grown to Lv2]

And along with those announcements a shinai appeared right before me, clattering onto the ground after being created into existence. A success on the first try, Sword Incarnation is truly a title I have to thank for. It has served me well and will do even more for me as time goes by.

I looked towards the new screens that popped up within my peripheral.

[Projection Lv4]

[Create a replica of something within your understanding with 3.2% likeness of the original. Cost depends]

The skill was instantly raised to Lv4 the moment I successfully created the shinai thanks to Sword Incarnation. From what I could see it seems the likeness will increase to 80% when he skill reaches Lv100. Guess it will be impossible to create perfect non-degraded copies thanks to interference from Gaia.

Looking at the sword on the ground, it looks more like a bokuto than a shinai if I were being honest. It cannot be helped considering my current 3.2% likeness compared to the original. Guess I should train this skill as much as possible considering how it synergize with Tracing.

Tracing is the signature Skill of Emiya Shirou, the ability to replicate any weapon he has ever seen within his life including Noble Phantasms which boasted much higher power compared to normal weapons. With the skill he managed to survive thorough the 5th Holy Grail War even if not unscathed.

"That was rather quick. Next is reinforcement."

This one was simple and yet complex at the same time. All I need to do was fill the object with Prana without breaking said object. Once again this was far easier said than done. It was beyond hard to ensure I did not break the object while reinforcing it. The force of Prana sent towards the shinai could easily break it and explode at a moment's inattention.

Perhaps it was because of the Sword Incarnate title or maybe pure luck, but I succeeded as the first lightning struck the ground within my mindscape. The image is starting to grow on me.

[Reinforcement Lv4]

[Increase the effectiveness of an object by 4% Cost 11MP/Minute]

"Success."

"…It seems you have talents in this craft."

"I'd rather say it was because of my Sword Incarnation status."

And that was officially all the magecraft Emiya Shirou learnt during his first seventeen years of life excluding the few routes where he attained the famed Reality Marble. I have no intention of stopping there though. My potential for magecraft is much higher than Shirou considering my better circuits in terms of both quantity and quality.

"Kiritsugu-san, could you teach me about making Mystic Codes as well?"

Mystic codes. Armaments enhanced by mystery to become mighty weapons for the owner to use. Though they pales in comparison to Noble Phantasm Mystic Codes still would be useful during the ten years where I will lack any Noble Phantasm to copy with my ability. Ten years is a very long time so learning a bit to cover my temporary ten-year weakness is important.

"…That is going to take much longer than the previous lessons."

"I have quite the amount of free time right now."

I spoke with a shrug. To be honest my schedule was already pretty packed with my ten hours of physical training a day, but sparing time for Mystic Codes would hopefully be a worthy investment. This reminds me of how I always needed to schedule my time properly… So I can perfectly clear all limited-time events in games I played.

Yeah, I have no life back in my past.

"So, where to begin…"


End file.
